Overcompliance and reluctance to make decisions: Exploring warning systems in support of public managers

Post-scandal effects in public management point to the occurrence of overcompliance in the work of public managers, leading to reluctance and paralysis in decision-making. This article discusses the proposition of an artifact in the form of a warning system to aid the analysis process and issuing of opinions (APIO) by public managers, providing more information and, consequently, less risk and fear. The Design Science Research method was used to exapt a scientific artifact to the context of public management. The textual structure of 178 opinions issued by public agencies was analyzed, as was the perception of 17 public managers of the characteristics of the APIO. Exaptating the artifact from a technological perspective is simple and feasible, as it involves processes with strong functional similarities. The greatest challenges to operationalize the artifact broadly and without restrictions, as occurs in scientific academia, are associated with informational behaviors.     

Local and national effects of a quality system in Dutch general practitioner specialty training: a qualitative study

A quality system (named GEAR; acronym for Combined Evaluation Audit Round in English), has been introduced in eight institutes of the Dutch general practitioner specialty training. This paper focuses on the local and national effects of GEAR. Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted with the directors and quality co-ordinators. At a local level, GEAR provided the institutes with insights into their current practice. The institutes designed and implemented several improvement plans based on feedback. Furthermore, GEAR addressed quality management more systematically, and it enhanced the quality culture. At a national level, the institutes formulated national priorities. In addition, GEAR stimulated collaboration as a result of more frequent contacts. Institutes differed in their perception of the extent to which GEAR offered added value. Integrating the quality system into the local policy was sometimes a problem. Despite some scepticism at the start, GEAR provoked enthusiasm that can contribute to the quality of medical education.     

Associations of total sedentary time,screen time and non-screen sedentary time with adiposity and physical fitness in youth: the mediating effect of physical activity

The aims of the present study were: i) to examine the associations of total accelerometer-based sedentary time (ST) and specific-domain self-reported ST (i.e., screen-based, educational-based, social-based, and other-based ST) with adiposity and physical fitness in youth; and ii) to analyse the mediation effect of physical activity (PA) on associations.

This study was conducted with 415 children (9.1 ± 0.4 years) and 853 adolescents (13.6 ± 1.6 years) in Spain during 2011–2012. Total ST and PA were assessed by accelerometry. Leisure-time spent in twelve sedentary behaviours was self-reported. Adiposity and physical fitness was measured following the ALPHA battery for youth.

Total accelerometer-based ST was positively associated with global adiposity score in children, and negatively associated with global physical fitness score in children and adolescents; but relationships were not independent of PA. PA mediated all associations of accelerometer-based and self-reported ST with adiposity or physical fitness in children. Conversely, screen-, educational-, social-, and other-based ST were negatively related to physical fitness in adolescents, independently of PA.

These findings give an impetus to developing effective strategies for specifically promoting PA in children and for increasing PA while reducing ST in adolescents in order to produce improvements on adiposity and physical fitness.     

Navigating Alarming Media Messages About Nutrition and Health

Science & Education - This study focuses the emerging need for young people to critically respond to alarming messages in contemporary media highlighting the potential benefits or harms of...     

Applying the EFQM model to golf course management

The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model provides guidance and support for business organisations to improve their quality management. This goal is attained by examining the relations among the several criteria that are defined and included in the model – the Enablers and the Results – albeit without going deeply into their empirical correlations. Our research focuses on the sport industry and, more particularly, on golf-related services and facilities. We analyse their management and performance. The goal is to conduct an empirical study of golf courses making up the supply in a Spanish inland region. On the basis of data and assessments contributed by the participating sample – and by resorting to multivariate statistical analysis – we pinpoint the influence of all Enablers identified by the EFQM Model, as well as their impact on the Results criteria. Correlations designed and empirically quantified make it possible for us to confirm the theoretical interrelations that the EFQM Model proposes between the defined criteria. The structural model thus obtained allows us to design a map that plots the relationships across the several criteria defined by the EFQM Model, one which portrays present-day approaches to management put into practice by the golf courses under scrutiny.     

Sprint performance and mechanical outputs computed with an iPhone app: Comparison with existing reference methods

The purpose of this study was to assess validity and reliability of sprint performance outcomes measured with an iPhone application (named: MySprint) and existing field methods (i.e. timing photocells and radar gun). To do this, 12 highly trained male sprinters performed 6 maximal 40-m sprints during a single session which were simultaneously timed using 7 pairs of timing photocells, a radar gun and a newly developed iPhone app based on high-speed video recording. Several split times as well as mechanical outputs computed from the model proposed by Samozino et al. [(2015). A simple method for measuring power, force, velocity properties, and mechanical effectiveness in sprint running. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12490] were then measured by each system, and values were compared for validity and reliability purposes. First, there was an almost perfect correlation between the values of time for each split of the 40-m sprint measured with MySprint and the timing photocells (r?=?0.989–0.999, standard error of estimate?=?0.007–0.015?s, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)?=?1.0). Second, almost perfect associations were observed for the maximal theoretical horizontal force (F₀), the maximal theoretical velocity (V₀), the maximal power (P_max) and the mechanical effectiveness (DRF – decrease in the ratio of force over acceleration) measured with the app and the radar gun (r?=?0.974–0.999, ICC?=?0.987–1.00). Finally, when analysing the performance outputs of the six different sprints of each athlete, almost identical levels of reliability were observed as revealed by the coefficient of variation (MySprint: CV?=?0.027–0.14%; reference systems: CV?=?0.028–0.11%). Results on the present study showed that sprint performance can be evaluated in a valid and reliable way using a novel iPhone app.     

Effects of different strength training frequencies during reduced training period on strength and muscle cross-sectional area

This study investigated the effects of different reduced strength training (RST) frequencies on half-squat 1 RM and quadriceps cross-sectional area (QCSA). Thirty-three untrained males (24.7?±?3.9 years; 1.73?±?0.08?m; 74.6?±?8.4?kg) underwent a 16-week experimental period (i.e. eight weeks of strength training [ST] followed by additional eight weeks of RST). During the ST period, the participants performed 3–4 sets of 6–12 RM, three sessions/week in half-squat and knee extension exercises. Following ST, the participants were randomly allocated to one of three groups: reduced strength training with one (RST1) or two sessions per week (RST2), and ceased training (CT). Both RST1 and RST2 groups had their training frequency and total training volume-load (i.e. RST1?=?50.3% and RST2?=?57.1%) reduced, while the CT group stopped training completely. Half-squat 1 RM (RST1?=?27.9%; RST2?=?26.7%; and CT?=?28.4%) and QCSA (RST1?=?6.1%; RST2?=?6.9%; and CT?=?5.8%) increased significantly (p?<?.05) in all groups after eight weeks of ST. No significant changes were observed in 1 RM and QCSA for RST1 and RST2 groups after the RST period, while the CT group demonstrated a decrease in half-squat 1 RM (22.6%) and QCSA (5.4%) when compared to the ST period (p?<?.05). In conclusion, different RST frequencies applied were able to maintain muscle mass and strength performance obtained over the regular ST period. Thus, it appears that RST frequency does not affect the maintenance of muscle mass and strength in untrained males, as long as volume-load is equated between frequencies.